


It's complicated

by who_seeks_shall_find



Series: Life as I see it [36]
Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: Conversations, F/M, Friendship, Love, Pining, Sassy Felicity Smoak, Secrets, post-season 6
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-10
Updated: 2018-07-10
Packaged: 2019-06-08 05:05:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,909
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15235971
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/who_seeks_shall_find/pseuds/who_seeks_shall_find
Summary: Roy came back to Star City without Thea and he hadn't talked about it. Finally, he opens up to Felicity.





	It's complicated

**Author's Note:**

> This is a part of a series about Oliver's imprisonment and a year after it. This drabble takes place after 183 days of Oliver's release from prison and Roy has been in Star City for a week.
> 
> The series will be updated once a day (if it's just possible). It's going to include 122 drabbles about Oliver, Felicity, William and other characters who are involved in their lives. It's going to take approximately four months to finish the series. The drabbles are linked to each other but they're NOT in a CHRONOLOGICAL order. That's why, there may also be gaps or blanks which are filled in later.
> 
> I wish that every character is respected without unnecessary hatred.
> 
> Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

Felicity rushed the stairs down to the bunker. She had gotten an alert about a weird methane leakage in downtown and she needed to know everything about it. The gas leakage was weird because of the place - there were no gas pipes or internal infrastructure containing any methane. She needed to find out whether it was just a malfunction on her program or a real deal.

Felicity ran straight to her computers and started typing furiously even before she sat down. If there was a methane leakage for some reason, it could release a lot of toxic gases. Besides, methane was flammable which could cause terrible destruction in downtown. 

Abruptly, she heard a voice behind her as Roy asked: “What are you doing, Felicity?”

Felicity startled and she turned to look at Roy who was standing next to the training dummy. Felicity held her on her chest because of the shock. Roy was dripping with sweat and he was wearing an amused expression as he looked at Felicity. She had been so concentrated on the task that she hadn’t noticed Roy who was working out.

“I’m tracking a methane leakage,” she answered breathlessly as soon as she recovered enough so she could speak again. 

Roy frowned and his smirk disappeared immediately. Felicity turned to her computers as Roy walked next to her. She sat down and started typing while Roy hovered over her and her computers. Seemingly, he didn’t know what to do but Felicity couldn’t focus on Roy right now. 

“I’ll call Oliver and Diggle,” Roy finally stated and grabbed his phone from the table. 

“Don’t do it yet. The methane leakage is an unlike scenario. Something else is going on,” Felicity said without turning her gaze away from the screens. 

“Then what is it?” Roy asked worriedly but he dropped his phone back on the table.

“It may be a malfunction in my alert system or there’s a virus in the city’s network. At least I know it's not a real thing,” Felicity explained as she kept typing.

Roy groaned and he rubbed his face. He started pacing restlessly while Felicity tried to focus on the task. Yet, Felicity couldn’t help but notice that Roy had been restless for the whole week he had been back. It was like he didn’t know what to do or where to go. He seemed a little lost and he hadn’t still told why he had actually come back. Felicity knew how Roy bottled up his feelings so she was a bit worried about him. 

She shook her head and pushed thoughts about Roy aside. She went through her own programs and city’s network which way too unprotected. After a few minutes, Felicity let out a relieved breath. Her own programs were working perfectly and the problem was city’s network. Someone had planted a piece of code which caused the system to report about the leakage. She put a mental note to talk Oliver about updating the firewalls of the city’s network. He was the mayor after all. Then Felicity uploaded a piece of code which counteracted with the virus code. She smiled at herself as she saw all her red alerts going away.

Felicity bumped her fist up in the air as she exclaimed: “And that’s how it’s done.”

Roy almost ran next to her and he asked: “Do you need me to hit the streets?”

“No. That’s why, I said how it’s done,” Felicity said and turned to look at him over her glasses.

“Yeah. Right. Of course,” Roy stammered and looked down at his hands. He was avoiding Felicity’s gaze but she could see a little disappointment in his expression.

Felicity grabbed his hand and asked: “Are you okay?”

Roy cleared his throat and he said roughly: “Me? I’m fine.”

Then he continued and tried to joke about it: “I just wanted to hit a real scumbag. The training dummy isn’t exactly sufficient anymore.”

Felicity squeezed his hand and she tried again: “Do you want to tell me what is really going on with you? You have been restless for the whole last week.”

He shrugged his shoulders and Felicity stood up. She let go of his hand and she walked to fetch another chair. She dragged the chair and put it next to hers while Roy just looked at her closely. Then Felicity sat down again and tapped the empty chair in front of her. Roy’s mouth opened and he stared at the chair like it was contagious. 

Felicity rolled her eyes and she said: “Sit down, Harper.”

“Is this your idea of a therapy session?” Roy asked and laughed nervously but he didn’t sit down.

“This my idea of a friend talking to another friend. Now sit your ass in the chair,” Felicity commanded in her loud voice. She wasn’t going to put up with another brooding man in her life - her husband’s brooding was enough.

Roy sat down reluctantly as he mumbled almost inaudibly: “I’d prefer even slapping water to a therapy.”

“Careful what you wish for,” Felicity warned him.

Roy raised his hands up in the air for surrender and he exhaled sharply. Felicity smirked at him and started again: “Now I want to know what is bothering you. Why are you here?”

“I came here to train,” Roy rushed to answer and Felicity rolled her eyes at him.

“It’s not what I meant and you know it,” Felicity stated and grossed her arms on her chest.

Roy glared at her quickly but finally he gave up. He started explaining: “I told you that I’m not running away from anything.”

Felicity nodded and Roy continued: “That’s still the truth. For the first time in years, I was able to come back to Star City. I was able to come back to my home because Oliver let himself in and just so you know, it was never my request or anything.”

Felicity smiled at him sadly and assured him: “I know that you had nothing to do with his decision to reveal himself as the Green Arrow. I’m well aware that you would have never asked anything like that. It was all Oliver.”

Roy nodded and closed his eyes for a little moment. He went on with his story: “I saw so many places but none of them felt like home. I met so many people but they didn’t feel like my family. I dreamed about coming back to Star City and to you guys.”

“But?” Felicity asked knowingly as Roy opened his eyes again.

Roy huffed out: “I guess I’m restless because being back at home is weird after all these years. I was so used to run away.”

He turned his gaze to his hands and he whispered absent-mindedly: “It’s weird.”

Roy leaned forward as his elbows rested on his knees. He dropped his head and let out a frustrated groan. Felicity smiled at him sympathetically because she knew how hard it was to come back to home. She couldn’t help but think Oliver and the emotional roller coaster after his release from prison. Adjusting to the new normal hadn’t been easy and it had required a lot of conversations among other things.

Yet, there was a major difference between Oliver and Roy’s cases – Felicity and William was there with Oliver. Oliver’s family was there for him while he was also there for them. They had worked through the storms and rocky paths as a family. Thea, on the other hand, wasn’t in Star City with Roy. Roy’s family and anchor was on the other side of the world.

Felicity put her hand on Roy’s forearm and squeezed it. She asked cautiously: “Maybe there is also another reason why it’s weird to be back in Star City?”

Roy’s eyes snapped at Felicity’s and they just stared at each other for a while. Eventually, Roy sighed and he admitted: “Yeah.”

He shook his head like he was having an unpleasant memory but soon he continued: “I always thought that I would be with Thea if I came back. I dreamed about sharing my life with her in here Star City.”

“Why didn’t she come back with you? What’s the real reason?” Felicity whispered.

Roy grunted and started playing with the sleeve of his hoodie. Then he answered: “She couldn’t. She is still looking for the Lazarus pits. Malcolm let quite a mess after him.”

Then Roy dropped his head to his hands as he said: “She also told me that she wasn’t ready to come back to Star City. According to her, the city was killing her slowly.”

Felicity nodded because she knew how much Thea had struggled while she had been still living in Star City. Thea hadn’t enjoyed her life and she had seemed a bit lost. She had tried to adjust but finally there was just too much pain. 

After a while Roy continued: “She said she wasn’t sure whether she would ever come back to Star City. The city has taken too much and living here is too painful for her although she misses Oliver. She also misses William and you. She misses everyone.”

“You didn’t want to travel the world with her?” Felicity asked as Roy kept his head on his hands.

Roy mumbled against his palms: “I had been on road for so many years. I love her more than I can say but I couldn’t keep running. Not anymore. I couldn’t keep running when I actually had the chance to stay at one place. I was just so tired.” 

Roy took a ragged breath as he looked straight into Felicity’s eyes. Then he said with a conviction: “I love her more than anything and I had to make sure that she was going to be fine with everything going on. I need her to be safe. Otherwise, I would have come even sooner.”

“It couldn’t have been an easy choice,” Felicity stated as she was deep in her own thoughts.

“No, it wasn’t. That’s why, it was also so hard when you guys asked whether we had had a fight. We didn’t have a fight. It wasn’t about wanting. It was about what we both needed. We needed different things and we both understood it. It was a mutual decision without drama,” Roy explained.

“I’m sorry,” Felicity apologized and gave him a small smile.

“It’s okay. I totally understand why everyone thought that we had had a fight and I was running from it,” Roy said and smiled back at Felicity.

Then he took a brave expression on his face and said: “There’s still hope. We’re still in love with each other after all these years. It should tell something about us. Now we just need some more time so we can figure out everything. Besides, she has promised to come to visit me and you guys.”

“I’m sure you will always find your way back to each other. No matter what,” Felicity agreed with Roy.

“Like you and Mr. Stubborn?” Roy asked as he smirked at her.

Felicity slapped Roy’s shoulder playfully as she stated: “You’re talking about my husband, Roy.”

“And you think he’s not stubborn?” Roy asked as he rolled his eyes.

“I know he’s annoyingly stubborn and that’s why, I’m going to let this one go. Otherwise, I would have downloaded a piece of code on your phone to alert you continuously about false methane leakages,” Felicity informed him and winked her eye.

**Author's Note:**

> Update for tomorrow:  
> Before Oliver was released from prison, agent Watson wanted to make sure that he knew the rules. Oliver wasn't a fan of those rules but he just wanted to get back to his family.


End file.
